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DANIEL HATCH

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove lay a wreath at the memorial for the MH17 victims. Photo: AAP

Amsterdam

Australia's Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, added a wreath of eucalyptus to the thousands of flowers left at the entrance to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in memory of the MH17 victims.

Sir Peter, who has been in the Netherlands to receive the bodies of the victims returning from the Ukraine crash site, said he was telephoning the relatives of Australian victims to express his condolences.

MH17 Memorial Services

Memorial services that were held around the country in the last week to remember the victims of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. Photography by Janie Barrett, Justin McManus, James Alcock, Eddie Jim and Jamila Toderas. Follow us at twitter.com/photosSMH Photo: Justin McManus

"I wanted to tell them that in amongst that unknown group of victims who returned, it didn't matter who they were, the Dutch would mourn them along with everyone else," he said.

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"Loved ones in Australia wanted me to convey their great gratitude to the Dutch authorities, to the people of the Netherlands, for the way they had accorded those returning bodies the respect and the dignity they were denied in the taking of their lives.

"We join the international community in our great sorrow."

Hundreds of people joined Sir Peter in visiting the makeshift floral shrine on Friday. They included Amsterdam locals, tourists catching flights home and airport staff.

Three flight attendants of Dutch airline KLM stood, arms around each other, tearfully reading many of the tributes. Most of the cards accompanying the flowers are in Dutch.

One card, attached to a large bouquet of white lilies, read: "From MH17 crew, 24th July."

A card left by Lesley Pallet of England read: "May you walk with God in Peace."

No family members of Australian victims were at the service. The parents of Fatima Dyczynski, who was on her way from Germany to Perth to take up a job with IBM, had been in the Netherlands but have since travelled to Kiev, reportedly in a bid to get to the crash site.

It is understood the families of the other Australian victims have, at this stage, remained in Australia.

The transporting of bodies from Ukraine to Amsterdam was to have continued on Friday. About 70 more bodies were expected at Eindhoven Airport on Friday afternoon.

The bodies will be taken to nearby Korporaal van Oudheusden barracks in Hilversum for what Sir Peter termed the "long and grim process" identifying them before they can be sent on to their families.